A Tech Blog by Duncan Thomsonhttp://www.banoffeesolutions.co.uk/
Fortnightly blog on Random Generators, Tech Community and CodingArticulate, blogging built on Umbraco1140http://www.banoffeesolutions.co.uk/archive/wanting-to-remote-pair-in-a-team-of-one/
Remote WorkingWanting to Remote Pair in a Team of One<p>If you've ever tried <a href="https://www.agilealliance.org/glossary/pairing/" target="_blank">pair programming</a> you may have found it a challenge to start but reaped the benefits once you got used to coding alongside another...</p>
<p>But if you work remotely or on your own then it gets harder to do....
As this is my current situation I thought I'd look at what your options are!</p>
<h2>Three Challenges</h2>
<p>If you're a freelancer, working on an open source project or an a side project and want the benefits of pair programming then the three things you'll need to do Remote Pairing are.</p>
<ol>
<li><strong>Someone to Pair With</strong> Easy if you work in a team, we'll take a look at options if you don't</li>
<li><strong>Project to Pair On</strong> You'll need something you're both interested in and proficient in.
</li>
<li><strong>Tools to Pair Together</strong> This will vary dependent on machine setup and project with many options. We'll tackle these in a follow up post or take a look at the Resources.</li>
</ol>
<h2>Someone to Pair With</h2>
<p>Outside of a team or already having a coding buddy you'll need to find someone to pair with.
Preferably someone interested in the same problems, someone you can communicate with and someone within 5 time zones.
Consider</p>
<ul>
<li>Someone working on the same github or other open source project as yourself</li>
<li>http://www.codermatch.me/, a dedicated site for finding pair programmers</li>
<li>Reaching out to other coders in your social circle, be it via a Slack channel, Twitter, Meetup Group or even where you work</li>
<li>Find something you want to pair On first, and then work out who might be able to pair with you.</li>
</ul>
<h2>Project to Pair On</h2>
<p>If you've found someone to pair with then this might already have solved it. Or you might find this and then find someone to pair with</p>
<p>Look at
- A side project you're working on already
- A new idea, which you want the input of someone else to get started. Or need someone else's encouragement to get started!
- An open source project</p>
<h2>Remote Pairing Resources</h2>
<p>For more information take a look at </p>
<ol>
<li>https://www.pairprogramwith.me/, which gives a badge to say you welcome pairing requests and has an excellent list of remote pairing resources.</li>
<li>A video (48 minutes) about Remote Pairing at https://rietta.com/blog/2014/01/07/why-and-how-we-remote-pair-program-2013/</li>
<li>A book on remote pairing at https://pragprog.com/book/jkrp/remote-pairing . It's on my read list now.</li>
</ol>
<h2>Next Up</h2>
<p>We'll do a follow up with tools at a later point.
Share your remote or pairing experiences and get in touch if you're interested in pairing!</p>
Sun, 26 Mar 2017 14:00:00 +01002017-03-26T14:00:00+01:001137http://www.banoffeesolutions.co.uk/archive/remote-working-for-developers/
Remote WorkingRemote Working for Developers<p>Software Developer? Remote Working? Read on......</p>
<p>For remote working generally we've covered <a href="http://www.banoffeesolutions.co.uk/archive/remote-working-the-basics/">the basics</a>, <a href="http://www.banoffeesolutions.co.uk/archive/remote-working-somewhere-to-work/">places for work</a> and <a href="http://www.banoffeesolutions.co.uk/archive/podcasts-for-remote-working/">some podcasts</a> and now we look at the issues for developers and what we'll drill down to in future posts.</p>
<p><strong>Pair Programming</strong>
Pairing can be an effective way of developing, giving benefits for avoiding distractions, spreading knowledge and improving code quality.
But how do you pair program remotely? What if you don't even have someone to work with for pairing? Or work different hours to the rest of your team?
We'll take a look at some techniques for doing this remotely, some software for enabling it and some places to find people to work remotely with.</p>
<p><strong>Equipment for Coding Away from Home</strong>
If you've coded in a cafe or on the train then you've probably missed having multiple screens! And maybe some of the luxuries of a fixed desk...
We'll have a look at a couple options for screens when one the move, as well as a other things to consider such as lighting, microphones and routers.</p>
<p><strong>Code Reviews</strong>
This one is similar to pair programming, but code reviews can be amazing if done right. Working remotely can make it harder but we'll look at a couple of techniques to help with this and ways to find people to collaborate with on code reviews if that's what you need!</p>
<p><strong>Communication</strong>
Sometimes you may find it hard enough to talk to someone working 3 desks away, let alone on another continent.
We'll look at some of the particulars for communicating within development teams and with clients (or product managers or business analysts), considering when to use tools such as email, phones, video-chat, IM and Slack.</p>
<p><strong>The Development Team</strong>
If you're the single developer working away from a co-located team or part of a distributed team then you'll already be aware of issues around time-zones, team meetings, source control and getting people's attention.
We'll take a look at some resources and techniques for dealing with these.</p>
<p><strong>The Basics</strong>
We'll take a look at some of the common issues from a developer standpoint, drawing on thinking the following</p>
<ul>
<li>Places to Work</li>
<li>Organisation</li>
<li>Social Contact</li>
<li>Dealing with Distractions</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Other Considerations</strong>
If you've got something else you want to cover or have a particular interest in one of the subjects leave a comment or tweet @DuncanThom!</p>
Sun, 19 Feb 2017 14:00:00 Z2017-02-19T14:00:00Z1133http://www.banoffeesolutions.co.uk/archive/podcasts-for-remote-working/
PodcastsRemote WorkingPodcasts for Remote Working<p>Today we have two new podcasts for you around remote working, supplementing the <a data-id="1104" href="/archive/podcasts-1-your-learning-made-easy/" target="_blank" title="Podcasts 1: Your Learning Made Easy">slew of podcast posts</a> and posts on <a data-id="1117" href="/archive/remote-working-the-basics/" target="_blank" title="Remote Working I - the Basics">remote working</a>!</p>
<p><strong>21st Century Work Life</strong></p>
<p>Virtual not Distant is a company centred around improving the lives of those who work remotely, and <a href="http://virtualnotdistant.com/podcasts/" target="_blank" title="Virtual not Distant podcast">21st Century Work Life</a> is a podcast from them with <a href="https://twitter.com/PilarOrti" target="_blank" title="Pilar Orti on Twitter">Pilar Orti</a>.</p>
<p>The podcast has a relaxed but well presented style, with a mix of interviews and information. Pilar knows the world of remote working and the digital nomad equally well.</p>
<p>There are regular chats with the Lisette, the host of our second podcast where the two discuss the world of remote working.</p>
<p>Two example podcasts to highlight are <a href="http://virtualnotdistant.com/workhubs/" target="_blank" title="Virtual not Distant 102: Building a Community of Freelancers">Building a Community of Freelancers (Show 102)</a> and <a href="http://virtualnotdistant.com/episode100/" target="_blank" title="Virtual not Distant show 100">The Future of Work (Show 100)</a>.</p>
<p>The shows are roughly weekly and average an hour in length.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><strong>Col</strong><strong>laboration Super Powers</strong></p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><img class="alignright wp-image-479 size-thumbnail" src="http://www.collaborationsuperpowers.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/Pink-Logo-150x150.png" alt="Pink Logo" width="150" height="150" /></p>
<p style="text-align: left;">From another company offering services around remote working, <a href="http://www.collaborationsuperpowers.com/podcasts/" target="_blank" title="Collaboration Super Powers podcast">Collaboration Super Powers</a> is hosted by Lisette Sutherland and has a focus on remote teams.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">About half the shows are interviews about remote tools and techniques and the rest rely on the knowledgeable host.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">Two episodes you should check out are <a href="http://www.collaborationsuperpowers.com/120-setting-up-your-office-on-the-go/" target="_blank" title="Episode 120: Setting Up Your Office on the Go">120: Setting Up Your Office on the Go</a> and <a href="http://www.collaborationsuperpowers.com/114-how-to-find-a-remote-job/" target="_blank" title="Episode 114: How to Find a Remote Job">114: How to Find a Remote Job</a>.</p>
<p>Episodes are consistently weekly and range from 10 to 40 minutes, with the longer ones usually being interviews. </p>
<p><strong>What Next?</strong></p>
<p>So check out the podcasts and let me know if you've got any others to recommend on remote working!</p>Sun, 29 Jan 2017 13:40:50 Z2017-01-29T13:40:50Z1127http://www.banoffeesolutions.co.uk/archive/pomodoro-and-organising-the-day/
Remote WorkingPomodoro and Organising the Day<p> If you've ever worked at Remote Working then you'll know the importance of organising your day. </p>
<p>One way to do this is to use the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pomodoro_Technique" target="_blank" title="Pomodoro Technique on Wikipedia">Pomodoro Technique</a>. Basically you split your day into 25 minute sections and take 5 or 10 minute breaks.</p>
<p>I first encountered it when pair programming but now use it when working remotely to organise my day.</p>
<p>For many developers, Pomodoro is useful for getting them going, and you may find the same.</p>
<p><strong>Timers</strong></p>
<p>Various timers are favoured, including <a href="https://tomato-timer.com/" target="_blank" title="Tomato Timer">websites</a> and <a href="https://zapier.com/blog/best-pomodoro-apps/" target="_blank" title="Pomodoro Apps">mobile apps</a>.</p>
<p>I personally favour a physical kitchen timer (pictured above), having long ago learnt to block out various beeps from computer and mobile phone alike.</p>
<p><strong>Structuring The Day</strong></p>
<p>You might find it useful for splitting out your day and determining how productive you've been. Be careful though as number of pomodoros doesn't always equal productivity!</p>
<p>It can also become a way you start estimating tasks, as you look at as something and think that might take you 3, maybe 4 pomodoro periods.</p>
<p>I keep track of the number of pomodoros completed in a day and use it as a general measure of how my week has gone.</p>
<p><strong>Ideas for Breaks</strong></p>
<p>Breaks are important and Pomodoro is a way of making sure you take some!</p>
<p>During breaks consider housework or checking personal email, a short walk, exercises, tea or coffee or time on the mobile.</p>
<p>My favourites are Duolingo, the washing up, or dancing around to a song when no-one is watching.</p>
<p><strong>Pomodoro Variants</strong></p>
<p>Variants are commonplace, especially among developers, with different times for pomodoro sections and breaks.</p>
<p>Some like the Power Hour which is about finding an hour a day to focus entirely on one task.</p>
<p>Others like to skip a break if they are "in the zone" and take a slightly longer one at the next Pomodoro. This does risk never taking breaks.</p>
<p><strong>Structure, But Not Content</strong></p>
<p>This can give you a way of structuring your day, but not determining what you are actually going to do. We'll cover that another time!</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>Sun, 08 Jan 2017 14:06:11 Z2017-01-08T14:06:11Z1126http://www.banoffeesolutions.co.uk/archive/remote-working-resetting-your-day/
Remote WorkingRemote Working: Resetting Your Day<p>Have you ever lost a day working remotely looking at the news, distracted by Wikipedia or unable to take your thoughts off what needs doing for Xmas?</p>
<p>Maybe you need to start the day again!</p>
<p><strong>Rescue Your Day</strong></p>
<p>This is a simple way to rescue a day which is going nowhere, often when you are working on your own.</p>
<p>It allows you to regain your momentum and direction!</p>
<p><strong>Resetting Your Day</strong></p>
<p>The steps for this are fairly straight forward</p>
<p>1. Turn off your computer and walk away from it</p>
<p>2. Find something else to do for 10 minutes without mobile phones, tablets or similar devices. Preferably away from your work area. A coffee, short walk, shower or some house work are all options</p>
<p>3. Come back to your workspace and decide the next task that needs to be actioned.</p>
<p>4. Turn on your machine and start with that task, restarting your and hopefully leaving behind the former distractions.</p>
<p><strong>Recognising a Day Going Badly</strong></p>
<p>What counts as a bad day will vary for you! It could be down to unexpected news (such as the Brexit result), feeling overwhelmed by things or what started as a 5 minute distraction that turns into an hour long one....</p>
<p>I use this when I´m finding myself distracted for half an hour or an hour by something I shouldn´t be distracted by! I call this a bad day!</p>
<p>Leave us a comment or tweet if you use this or a similar technique!</p>Sun, 04 Dec 2016 15:00:00 Z2016-12-04T15:00:00Z1122http://www.banoffeesolutions.co.uk/archive/resources-for-remote-working/
Remote WorkingResources for Remote Working<p>This article complements the series about <a href="/categories/remote%20working" target="_blank" title="Remote Working archive">Remote Working</a> with resources useful for doing just that.</p>
<p><strong>Podcasts</strong></p>
<p>One I would start off with is a <a href="https://devchat.tv/freelancers/215-fs-remote-work" target="_blank" title="Remote Work podcast from Freelancer's Show">podcast episode about Remote Work</a> from the Freelancer's Show, one of the <a data-id="1109" href="/archive/podcasts-3-podcasts-for-contractors/" title="Podcasts 3: Podcasts for Contractors">podcasts recommended here</a> for Contractors.</p>
<p>Next up is a <a href="https://remote.co/4-collaboration-podcasts-for-remote-workers/" target="_blank" title="Collaboration Podcasts for Remote Workers">article at remote.co</a> which recommends 4 podcasts for working in a remote team and while travelling. A couple of these no longer publish actively but have archives worth checking out!</p>
<p><strong>Book</strong></p>
<p>Next up to recommend is a dead tree resource in the form of a book, <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17316682-remote" target="_blank" title="Remote: Office Not Required at GoodReads">Remote: Office Not Required by David Heinemeier Hansson</a>. Although 3 years old (at time of writing) the world of remote working isn´t moving quite as fast as the world of technology!</p>
<p><strong>Software Tools</strong></p>
<p>Everyone has their own preferences for remote working tools, but there are several categories</p>
<p>- Remote Messaging Tools include Skype, Slack and Zooom</p>
<p>- Remote Syncing and Storage include Dropbox, Github or OneDrive.</p>
<p>- Remote Task Management would have to mention Trello</p>
<p> We´ll return periodically to look at these resources as the tech world continues at pace!</p>
<p> </p>Sun, 27 Nov 2016 14:00:00 Z2016-11-27T14:00:00Z1124http://www.banoffeesolutions.co.uk/archive/remote-working-people-in-your-life/
Remote WorkingRemote Working: People in your Life<p>Next up for remote working after <a data-id="1117" href="/archive/remote-working-the-basics/" title="Remote Working I - the Basics">the basics</a> and <a data-id="1119" href="/archive/remote-working-somewhere-to-work/" title="Remote Working II - Somewhere to Work">somewhere to work</a> is how to keep your sanity when remote working.</p>
<p><strong>Social Contact in the Office<br /></strong></p>
<p>What many remote workers don't take into account when they first start is how much value there is in some small amount of human contact each day.</p>
<p>Whether this is moaning about the weather when getting in, grabbing a coffee with a colleague on another team, talking about sport of films or a weekly team lunch, there are social interactions in the office every day.</p>
<p><strong>Loneliness of the Remote Worker</strong></p>
<p>But when you're working from home or away in a distant city you might have no-one you know around you.</p>
<p>For a few people, this isn't a problem, but most of us like some sort of social contact, be that long conversations, saying hello or just being around people.</p>
<p>Without it you may find yourself lonely, starting conversations with delivery people and anyone else who comes a knocking!</p>
<p><strong>Change of Environment</strong></p>
<p>If you just want some time around people get out of the house each day, be it for lunch in the park, a walk to the shops or some sort of group activity where there is no pressure to talk to people.</p>
<p>I try to go swimming and tried taking up yoga a one or two mornings a week before work. Both have people around but neither require much interaction.</p>
<p><strong>Social Contact</strong></p>
<p>If you want to chat then try lunch with friends or coffee at a cafe. Even on your own you can often find a member of staff or another local to chat to.</p>
<p>If you can find other remote workers in a similar field to meet with semi-regularly then you can talk shop and compare notes.</p>
<p><strong>Office Substitutes</strong></p>
<p>Or you can make your own office with people around, through co-working spaces or a similar arrangement. Although this costs money, you may be able to get your company to pay or claim it as an expense.</p>
<p>Another substitute is some sort of social chat through a Slack channel or Skype chat, be that text or video based.</p>
<p>If you have found something that works for you, leave a comment us know what it is!</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>Sun, 20 Nov 2016 14:00:00 Z2016-11-20T14:00:00Z1119http://www.banoffeesolutions.co.uk/archive/remote-working-somewhere-to-work/
Remote WorkingRemote Working: Somewhere to Work<p>This is the second in a series about Remote Working, following on from <a data-id="1117" href="/archive/remote-working-the-basics/" target="_blank" title="Remote Working I - the Basics">The Basics</a> and looking at finding somewhere to work</p>
<p><strong>Somewhere to Work</strong></p>
<p>The first requirement of remote working is finding somewhere to work. You´ll want somewhere that you can call your own most of the time so that it doesn´t have to be rearranged every day.</p>
<p>My current arrangement is to use my dining table, which can be shut off if needed. The laptops get packed away once or twice a week and it takes 5-10 minutes to set them up again.</p>
<p>Somewhere quiet that is set apart for work so that people know that when you are there you are working!</p>
<p><strong>Free from Distractions</strong></p>
<p>Distractions are the bane of productivity in remote working. Once distracted it can be hard to return to the task at hand. Having a work environment free of distractions is one step to avoiding them.</p>
<p>Because of this , you´ll want to avoid through traffic, be they house-mates, family or pets.You may need to set boundaries if you don´t want to be disturbed at all while working. It´s hard to get on with things if friends are dropping by for casual conversations or you´re being asked to pop to the shops for some milk!</p>
<p>It will also help to remove distractions such as TVs, games or anything else which may be a desired alternative to the work at hand.</p>
<p><strong>Other Alternatives</strong></p>
<p>It may be that you don´t have a space that you can call your own or you travel around so often it just isn´t practical.</p>
<p>One option to consider is co-working spaces. These are places where you can rent a desk for a day or for several days a month. My home city of Exeter, which isn´t large, has at least 3 options so there should be something wherever you go. It should be a reasonable environment for getting work done, and it may useful for a bit of networking at the same time.</p>
<p>You could also look at renting an office if that´s an option, although this is definitely more expensive than finding a space at home.</p>
<p>Some people like to work from cafes, although you may find issues with wi-fi, having to keep buying items and keeping watch of your stuff to make sure it doesn´t go missing.</p>
<p>That´s it for now, let me know what your setup is for remote working!</p>
<p> </p>Sun, 09 Oct 2016 14:00:00 +01002016-10-09T14:00:00+01:001117http://www.banoffeesolutions.co.uk/archive/remote-working-the-basics/
Remote WorkingRemote Working: The Basics<p>So you've started your dream of working only to find it quickly becoming a lot harder than it should be!</p>
<p>Remote working is becoming more common, as workers seek more flexibility in lifestyle and location, and companies become more open-minded about their workers or look for cheaper ones abroad.</p>
<p>This post covers the basics in the first of a series on Remote Working</p>
<p><strong>Remote Working is Hard</strong></p>
<p>I´ve worked remotely for over 7 years in total, as a an employee, freelancer, as a contractor and on my own projects, so I can say from experience that it is not easy.</p>
<p>You have distractions to avoid, people far away to communicate with, high expectations to meet and no-one to talk to!</p>
<p>We'll look at ways to make sure working from home doesn't descend into nightmare...</p>
<p><strong>Find Somewhere to Work</strong></p>
<p>First things first, you'll want some somewhere you can call your own space for your work. I tried working from my bedroom for one morning before giving it up as a bad idea!</p>
<p>Somewhere quiet is good, a place with no through traffic is better.</p>
<p>If there are no suitable places at home it may be worth considering a co-working space or similar arrangement.</p>
<p>We'll go into your home work environment in more detail in a future post.</p>
<p><strong>Minimise Distractions</strong></p>
<p>Home is full of distractions, from video games and TV to the garden and loved ones. This is without external distractions such as sunny weather, work in the garden, a trip into town. All these (and more) need to be dealt with. Not to mention the plethora of time-wasting available on the internet.</p>
<p>Often once your attention has been grabbed by one thing, it will lead to another and result in an unproductive day or a later than anticipated evening!</p>
<p>Avoiding these distractions and staying focused takes practice and planning, but we'll look at habits and techniques to minimise or ignore them.</p>
<p><strong>Contact with Clients and Co-Workers<br /></strong></p>
<p>Whether you are working alone as a freelancer or as part of an internationally distributed team, you'll need to communicate with people.</p>
<p>This becomes harder when you're not in the same office or at a face-to-face meeting, but communication via phone, video, email or instant messaging all have their parts to play.</p>
<p>We'll look at the various communication channels and when to use them and what tools are out there to help you remain connected in your day-to-day activities.</p>
<p><strong>Insanity through Loneliness</strong></p>
<p>Even if you're not someone who normally likes a lot of social interaction, if you spend all day without human contact for a week, you will find yourself welcoming any human contact!</p>
<p>To avoid trying to trap the delivery-man into a half hour conversation try to plan trips out of the house, such as a coffee break at a cafe, some outdoor exercise, a lunch with friends or a short walk.</p>
<p>Get into a habit, a routine. Have a plan of what needs to be done that day.</p>
<p><strong>And More</strong></p>
<p>We haven't yet mentioned dealing with work expectations, separation of private and work life, how to reset your day, avoiding a 12 hour work day and planning your day, but we'll look at these in more detail in the future!</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>Sun, 11 Sep 2016 14:00:00 +01002016-09-11T14:00:00+01:00